Bioconcept car to race on renewable diesel, biodiesel blend

| June 02, 2011

The racing season is in full swing across the globe for nearly every type of vehicle, from stock cars to Formula One to tractors, and for two teams set to compete in a 24-hour race in Germany, a blend of renewable diesel and biodiesel might be the secret to earning a victory. The teams will put Neste Oil’s NExBTL renewable diesel made from hydotreated vegetable oils and waste oils to the test during the ADAC 24-hour race at the Nurburgring circuit. The Tuning Akademie team will use an Audi A6 engine, and the other team, Four Motors, will run what they call a “bioconcept car.”

The third-generation bioconcept car, powered by a TDI engine, is usually filled with rapeseed B100 but for this competition the vehicle is fueled with 93 percent of NExBTL and 7 percent biodiesel. The body of the car, along with other components, is sourced from biobased materials. The Four Motors team has several bioconcept cars including a Scirocco 2.0 L TDI, a Megane Trophy made in alliance with Renault, a Mustang GT RTD and a Volkswagen Beedle TDI.

The 24-hour race is meant to prove the endurance of the race teams and is open to both production and sports cars. More than 200 teams (700 drivers) will compete on the 15.5 mile course. With the two teams running 100 percent renewable diesel and biodiesel blends, this year’s event, June 23 to 26, will be the first ever in which a team will run solely on biofuels.

“Numerous different field tests have confirmed the performance of NExBTL renewable diesel and the benefits it offers in terms of lower emissions,” according to Kaisa Hietala, Neste’s vice president of marketing. “But,” Hietala added, “this will be the first time that it will be tested under competition conditions. We are very excited that this will take place at the renowned 24-hour race at the Nurburgring circuit,” which Hietala said “has been the showcase for the latest automotive technology for decades.” Partnering with Neste Oil at the event will be the German oilseed council UFOP. Driving the Four Motors car will be Smudo, the front man for the German-based band Fantastic Four.